


Strangers

by Vodnici



Series: Strangers (Fake Dating Violentine AU) [1]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - High School, F/F, Fake Dating, Fluff, Series, Slice of Life, Slow Burn, Slurs, will add more tags as the story progresses
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-27
Updated: 2018-10-04
Packaged: 2019-07-18 05:59:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16112297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vodnici/pseuds/Vodnici
Summary: When Violet agrees to go on a date with the school's baseball team captain, it's only to make her friends shut up about her non-existent lovelife. But what starts out as a play to the gallery may very well turn into something real.





	1. introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been quite a few days underway, but here's the first instalment of the fake dating AU, first thought up by Fanni on the Discord server! I feel good about the way this has turned out, so I hope motivation and inspiration will stay with me for future chapters. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!
> 
> (tw for one mention of a lesbophobic slur)

   “So, Vi. I think it’s about time we got you a girlfriend.”

 

   Violet’s eyes darted up from her homework to Louis sitting across from her, leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head, looking smug as hell. “Excuse me?”

 

   “I just think you’ve done enough sad sulking on your own, y’know? Scratching swear words into the school’s property in class and doing graffiti on the walls outside. Wouldn’t it be _nice_ to have someone’s name to scratch into your table? Or someone to keep watch while you do graffiti?”

 

   “Fuck off, Louis,” Violet snapped, shaking her head and returning her attention to the essay questions for English in front of her.

 

   “Aw, c’mon, Vi,” Ruby said persuasively from her seat next to Violet. Glancing out from the corner of her eye, Violet saw her smiling encouragingly. “I think it’d be good for you! Get out a bit, have some fun…”

 

   “Oh, so I need a girlfriend to have fun, but neither of _you_ need a girlfriend or a boyfriend to do the same?”

 

   “No, we don’t,” Louis replied. “We have our natural charm. You’re not exactly a ‘people person’ – and you said that yourself, don’t bite my head off – so you need a little help. And that’s what we’re here for, obviously!”

 

   Violet groaned, rolling her eyes exasperatedly and putting down her pencil in defeat. “All right, fine, fuck it,” she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. “If I do it, will the two of you stop bothering me about dating?”

 

   Louis and Ruby shared a quick look, Louis still smiling deviously. “Sure.”

 

   Violet took a deep breath. “Okay. God, I can’t believe I’m doing this. I don’t even know who I’d… choose.”

 

   “Look no further, because we already chose someone.”

 

   “Guess I should’ve seen _that_ coming.” Violet put on a mock smile and tilted her head to the side. “All right, Louis, who did you choose?”

 

   Louis leaned in over the table conspiratorially, glancing around the room to make sure the lucky elect wasn’t around, and said in a low voice: “Clementine Everett.”

 

\---------------

 

   The sharp sound of bats striking balls rung in Violet’s ears as she stood by the exit to the baseball field, waiting for practice to be over. Louis had insisted that Violet ask Clementine out as soon as humanly possible, which was that same afternoon after baseball practice. Ruby had tried to argue why they should give Violet a few days, at least, but Louis had been very insistent, saying that the ‘cogs had already been set in motion’, whatever that was supposed to mean.

 

   Now Violet was watching the team in pairs on the field, pitching to each other and swinging their bats around, and she regretted every decision in her life that had led to this moment. Clementine was well-liked among nearly everyone at Ericson High – talkative, outgoing, friendly, all the good traits – while Violet had less-than-gracefully established herself as a black sheep, rarely participating in social events, only talking to the few friends she did have, and, as Louis had mentioned, destroying or defacing school property. She silently cursed herself for agreeing to let him set her up, knowing full well that Ruby was only along for the amusement. For once in his life, Louis was the brains behind the operation.

 

   The wrap-up of practice came a lot sooner than Violet had hoped, leaving her with little time to prepare. Soon, a line of students dressed in blue and white baseball jerseys, pants and caps passed by Violet on the way to the locker rooms, excitedly talking amongst themselves about the lesson. Violet wasn’t sure why Clementine’s team, the Ericson Echidnas, needed any kind of practice. As far as she knew, they won all their games, probably due to the fact that their coach was none other than Javier García, famous pro baseball player retired to the simple life as a high school teacher and coach. Violet had never cared much for sports, but Mr García was “important” and it was “an honour” to be taught by him, apparently.

 

   He was approaching now alongside Clementine, who was speaking animatedly about strategies and the team’s progress. She was clearly excited and smiled from ear to ear as she walked with her bat resting on her right shoulder, and Violet could already feel her face growing hot at the prospect of asking someone as… lively as her out.

 

   “Uh… Clementine?” Violet’s voice was little more than a mumble, and for a second she hoped that Clementine wouldn’t hear her and pass her by, so that Violet could tell Louis that her offer had been declined. But Clementine’s amber eyes fixed on her as soon as the name had left her lips, and Violet knew she was done for. She could already imagine the ridicule when word would go around that Violet, the _lesbian_ , had asked Clementine out on a date.

 

   Clementine thanked Mr García for a good lesson and remained behind by the exit to the field, standing in front of Violet. “Hey, are you Violet?”

 

   Everything Violet had been planning to say was immediately snuffed out. “… Yeah?”

 

   “Louis talked to me. He said that a girl named Violet would meet me today to ask me out?”

 

   Violet waited for the disgusted sneer or the furrowed brow, but none came. If Clementine were feeling anything other than mild confusion, she hid it well.

 

   “Yeah. I guess I’m that girl.” Violet sighed and ran a hand over her face. “Look, it’s my dumb fucking friends trying to set me up with someone. I don’t think they’d let me go with just one date, so if we could just… hang out a few times, tell them we’re… taking things slow or some shit, and then pretend to ‘break up’ so they’ll stop bothering me, it’d be… it’d be great.”

 

   Clementine simply nodded and shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” Then she put a hand in her pocket and retrieved her cell phone. “Here, can you write your number into my phone so I can text you?”

 

   Whatever reaction Violet had expected, that wasn’t it. A polite ‘you seem nice, but I have a lot on my plate lately’ at best, a repulsed ‘get away from me, you _dyke_ ’ at worst. ‘Yeah, sure’ was not and had never been on Violet’s mental list of possible responses to her asking someone out. She put it down to Clementine just being nice and wanting to help out, but she was still so shaken she almost forgot what her own phone number was.

 

   “Cool,” Clementine said as she took her phone back. “I’ll text you and we can figure something out, yeah?”

 

   “Y—Yeah. Okay,” Violet mumbled. Clementine shot her a friendly smile and then left for the locker rooms.

 

   Violet stood completely still, eyes resting on Clementine’s back as she disappeared inside. She wasn’t entirely sure what had just happened, or whether it was good or bad, but soon she would have her first fake date with Clementine Everett.


	2. acquaintances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Of all the places Violet had gone for her previous dates, a McDonald’s was probably the least dignified. She regretted having even written the text immediately after sending it, but Clementine’s enthusiasm to sit in a greasy fast food joint for an hour or two on a Friday afternoon had caught her by surprise.
> 
> In which Violet is a high school student with no money and takes her date to McDonald's.

 

[4:38pm, **Clementine:** Hey, Violet! It’s Clementine. Now you have my number, too. :) Have you figured out where we’re going for our first date?]

[4:56, **Violet:** hi clementine. i have like no money so the only place we can really go is mcdonald’s or something… sorry]

[4:57, **Clementine:** That’s romantic… Kidding! It sounds fun! :) Should we go there on Friday after school? We can meet by the baseball field again. I have practice in last period.]

[5:03, **Violet:** yeah that’s fine. see you]

 

   Of all the places Violet had gone for her previous dates, a McDonald’s was probably the least dignified. She regretted having even written the text immediately after sending it, but Clementine’s enthusiasm to sit in a greasy fast food joint for an hour or two on a Friday afternoon had caught her by surprise. It had also caught her by surprise how her face had flushed when she saw Clementine exit the locker rooms wearing loose jeans, an open, long-sleeved flannel over a T-shirt, and the blue baseball cap she was never seen without still on her head. The blush had been for a different reason when Violet had considered her own, rather shabby outfit in comparison: ripped jeans, an oversized, lavender sweatshirt, and a black beanie. Clementine had made a comment about the color of Violet’s shirt suiting her name, and Violet had wanted to put up her hood and pull on the strings as far as they would go. She didn’t, but had instead managed to say that Clementine’s shirt – which had a sleeping skeleton printed in the middle and the text “Lazybones” written beneath – didn’t suit her, since someone who was as good at baseball as her couldn’t possibly be lazy. The nervous laugh Violet had received in return was enough to create a small stir in her stomach, but she had suppressed the sensation.

 

   Now they were seated across from each other in McDonald’s, their food on a tray between them. Clementine had ordered a menu with two Big Macs, fries, a large soda, and chicken nuggets on the side. Violet had sufficed with a single cheeseburger, a medium soda, and, of course, her own serving of nuggets. She pinned Clementine’s considerable appetite on the fact that she played baseball several times a week at school and probably practiced even more than that at home. Violet wouldn’t describe herself as “athletic”, “in decent shape” or even “particularly active” in any capacity, so her hunger was understandably more timid.

 

   For the first long while as they ate, the silence was almost tangible. Violet could practically feel it smothering her with each passing second she wasn’t saying a word, but she kept her composure… at least, she hoped she did.

 

   Clementine, on the other hand, seemed unbothered by the awkward atmosphere. “So,” she began once half of her first burger as well as a handful of her fries were gone, “any sports you like?”

 

   Violet should have seen this coming. Of course the jock would ask sports-related questions. “Not really.” When Clementine kept looking at her expectantly, she realized she should probably say something more. “Uh, my dad watches hockey sometimes, but I think that’s it. We’re not very… sporty. Anyone else in your family play?”

 

   Clementine shrugged. “Not as much as I do. My dad helps me with practice sometimes, and I guess I play with my little brother, AJ, but that’s just for fun.”

 

   “Sports don’t run in the family, then?”

 

   “Well, actually… Lee isn’t my ‘real’ dad, he adopted AJ and me, so you can’t really talk about it running in the family. But I think, even if he wanted to play, it’d be hard to find the time for it, since he and Carley both have jobs.”

 

   “Jobs always ruin your fun,” Violet said and sipped her soda. “Need the money, though.”

 

   “Tch, yeah, tell me about it. When Lee adopted us, he had to work two jobs to make enough money for all three of us. Being a high school teacher doesn’t earn you much.” Her excitement had dulled and been replaced by a sullen expression. “I wanted to get a job, too, to help us out, but he wouldn’t let me, because I had school to focus on. It was… really hard for a while.” The corners of her mouth then pulled back into a small smile. “But then he met Carley, and it all worked out in the end.”

 

   “And Carley’s your… stepmom?”

 

   Clementine nodded. “They got together a couple of years ago and we all live together now. She’s a journalist, so she’s not home a lot.” She stuffed a nugget into her mouth. “What about your parents?”

 

   Violet stopped chewing for a moment. She hated talking about her family, because she was becoming gradually more convinced that they hated _her_. The amount of time she spent with her parents was as minimal as possible, limited to meals and obligatory gatherings, and yet her mother and father wasted no time on superfluous matters like _bonding_ and _communicating_ , opting to instead scold her for all the things she _did_ wrong and all the ways she _was_ wrong. Her grandmother was essentially her most decent close relative and one of the only ones Violet wanted anything to do with.

 

   “My dad’s a pastor and my mom’s a housewife,” she said. “But my mom’s barely home anyway. You’d think she works at the church, as much time as she spends there. And she goes to these stupid protests…” She sighed. “My grandma take cares of me most of the time. I don’t really mind.”

 

   The inquisitive look in Clementine’s eyes told Violet that she obviously didn’t do a very good job of hiding that she _did_ , in fact, mind that her parents were negligent, homophobic bible-bangers, but, thankfully, she didn’t press the issue. “Have you thought about getting a job?” Clementine asked instead, as she finished off her first burger and wiped her fingers on a napkin.

 

   “It’d be nice to make some money, but… I’m not doing too hot in a lot of classes. And I’m already spending so much time _not_ doing my homework, I simply don’t think I can fit a job in there, too.”

 

   This made Clementine laugh, and she had to cover her mouth so as to not spit out her fries. “You don’t think the reason you’re not doing too hot is because you’re not doing your homework?”

 

   Violet tried to suppress her own smile. “Oh, no, I can’t imagine that would be it.”

 

   “Come on. What’s your worst subject?”

 

   Violet didn’t even need to think. The word was already on her tongue as Clementine was formulating the question. “Math. No doubt about it.”

 

   “Math is all right. What _really_ sucks is chemistry.”

 

   “You’re insane for saying math is all right, but you redeemed yourself a little by hating chemistry. I don’t know if I have a ‘best subject’, but I think the class where the teacher has yelled at me the _least_ is… social studies.”

 

   “And why are you yelled at less in social studies?”

 

   Violet shrugged, dunked a chicken nugget in ketchup, and took a bite. “I guess I’m good at arguing. All the theoretical shit and people and dates we have to remember –“ she shook her head, “– fuck that. But when we get to have a discussion in class, you bet your ass I’m there.”

 

   Clementine began unwrapping her second burger. “I’m like the opposite. I remember names and dates and events really well. Guess that’s what you get for being adopted by a history teacher.” She chuckled. “ _And_ I’m taking after him, because history’s one of my favorite subjects."

 

   “Okay, remember when I said you redeemed yourself with chemistry? You just lost that redemption by liking history, like a total nerd,” Violet said with a wry, teasing smile and a glimmer in her eyes, letting Clementine know it wasn’t meant maliciously. Clementine sent her a fake-offended expression in return, which caused Violet to almost miss her mouth with the other half of the nugget. She tried to hide the mistake as discreetly as possible.

 

   But then Clementine’s hand shot up to her mouth, covering a smile and a laugh she was clearly failing to suppress. “Th—There’s some—You’ve got ketchup. Here.”

 

   Rather than show where it would be on her own face, she reached her hand across the table and wiped away the ketchup at the corner of Violet’s mouth with her thumb. The gesture was so gentle and unexpected that Violet could do nothing but stay frozen in her seat as it happened, watching Clementine slowly retreat while flashing her the sweetest smile Violet had probably ever seen. A burning heat overtook her face, all the way up to her ears, and her stomach made an uncomfortable flip.

 

   She soon realized that she was staring at Clementine with her mouth slightly open, so she quickly closed it and averted her gaze to anywhere that _wasn’t_ Clementine. (That stain of unknowable origin on the floor was suddenly _extremely_ interesting.) She let out a nervous laugh. “O—Oh, thanks…”

 

   Clementine was still smiling when she took a bite of her burger. “Don’t mention it.”

 

   Food having been forgotten for a moment, Violet realized she was still holding a stump of the nugget that had caused the previous mess. She determinedly put it in her mouth, set on not letting anything like what just happened happen again, unsure if her heart could handle a repeat.

 

   The nerves died down enough two or three nuggets later for the conversation to continue casually, yet the repercussions of how Clementine had made Violet feel still lingered. She kept watching Clementine’s hands, calloused from years of swinging bats and catching balls, and wondered how such rough fingers could feel so soft on her face. And when both of Clementine’s hands weren’t clutching her burger to take a bite, Violet noticed that she kept her free hand busy by tapping her thumb against each of her fingertips in order, index finger to pinkie and back, like a tiny ritual. Whether it was a nervous tick or just habit, she couldn’t tell.

 

   Eventually there were only crumpled up balls of wrapping paper and empty fry and nugget containers left on their tray. The sun was low on the sky already, a testament to fall being fast on the way, and daylight would begin fading soon. Violet found herself being reluctant to let her time with Clementine end, and begrudgingly agreed when Clementine looked at her wristwatch and said that she should be heading home (after the initial surprise at the realization of how much of the afternoon they had spent in McDonald’s had worn off, of course).

 

   “That was a nice date,” Clementine said as they were standing outside the entrance to the restaurant.

 

   The comment caught Violet completely off guard, and the words she thought of saying stumbled over each other in her head. “Oh, uh…” was the first thing out of her mouth. “Yeah, it was fun to hang out! Now I can brag to Louis that our first date was a success.” She laughed half-heartedly. It wasn’t what she wanted to say.

 

   Clementine only smiled faintly and nodded, looking at her feet with her hands in her pockets. Violet noticed the floral pattern on her converse. “So… text me sometime? For our second date?”

 

   Violet nodded too. “Yeah. Yeah, I will.”

 

   “All right. See ya, Vi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my sweet beta readers for suggestions and corrections!


End file.
